Grading Criteria

Assessment Methods and Alignment with Dublin Descriptors

The assessment system is designed to align with Dublin Descriptors and evaluate the achievement of the expected learning outcomes in knowledge, understanding, and applied skills.

In particular:

• Knowledge and understanding are assessed through written and oral examinations, aimed at verifying the acquisition of theoretical concepts and methodological foundations of the discipline.
• Applying knowledge and understanding is evaluated through the student’s ability to use acquired concepts to analyse problems, make informed decisions, and select appropriate solutions, including in the context of material choice and engineering applications.
• Making judgments is assessed by evaluating the student’s capacity for critical thinking, autonomy in analysis, and ability to establish connections between different topics.
• Communication skills are verified through the clarity, coherence, and appropriateness of language, with particular attention to the correct use of technical terminology during both written and oral examinations.
• Learning skills are reflected in the student’s ability to independently organise knowledge, deepen topics, and re-elaborate the acquired competencies.

The assessment methods include progress tests, a final written examination, and an oral examination, all consisting of questions related to the topics covered in the course syllabus. These are designed to evaluate both knowledge and reasoning skills, as well as the ability to integrate and apply concepts across different areas of the course.

The final grade of the exam is expressed out of thirty and will be obtained through the following graduation system:

Failed: important deficiencies in the knowledge and understanding of the topics; limited capacity for analysis and synthesis, frequent generalizations, and limited critical and judgmental capacity; the topics are set out inconsistently and with inappropriate language.

18-21, the student has acquired the basic concepts of the discipline and has an analytical capacity that emerges only with the teacher’s support. The way of speaking and the language used are, on the whole, correct.

22-25, the student has acquired the basic concepts of the discipline in a discreet way, knows how to orient him/herself among the various topics covered, and has an autonomous analytical capacity that can express itself with correct language.

26-29, the student has a well-structured knowledge base. He can independently rework the knowledge acquired in the context of choosing conventional and unconventional materials for the application; the way of speaking and the technical language are correct.

30 and 30 cum laude, the student has a complete and in-depth knowledge base. The cultural references are rich and up to date, expressed with brilliance and technical precision.